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JIMMY SMOTHERS: Gadsden's Drug Store Queen

Published: Sunday, April 28, 2013 at 6:01 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, April 26, 2013 at 5:28 p.m.

The date was May 7, 1945, the day World War II ended in Europe. Susie Henry remembers it well — for a lot of reasons.

One is that it was her first day on the job behind the soda fountain at Usry Drug Store. Another is that she'd hardly gotten to work when owner Forney Usry closed the store so his employees could celebrate what was to become known as VE Day (Victory in Europe) in the U.S. and Great Britain.

Even more important to Susie was knowing that with the war ending in Europe, her husband, Odes, soon would be coming home. They had not seen each other for 27 months, since he'd been deployed to Europe in May 1943. Odes already was in the Army when he married his 16-year-old girlfriend Sept. 28, 1941. He served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps.

So far, the story is similar to that of a lot of young couples during the Second World War. Sweethearts married young. The boys went to war and their young wives went to work, longing for their husbands at night and praying for their safe return.

There, the story of Susie Henry takes a different twist. Here is the way she remembers it:

“Usry Drug Store was situated across from the American National Bank and was the first building in Gadsden to be air conditioned. People just piled in there. We had customers from the bank, the lawyer's and doctor's offices nearby and then ... school children when they would come through downtown after school let out.

“Lots of people came in because of the air conditioning, but they also came in for the ice cream that Mr. Usry would order from Chattanooga and have shipped in on the train. It was very good ice cream and we had to hand dip it. We dipped it for sundaes, banana splits, malted milks and shakes. We would dip it out and sell it in small dishes right there in the store, or put it in cardboard cartons when people wanted to carry it outside.

“Although a lot of people would come in out of the summer heat to cool off, I never really got cold because we had do to work so fast and hard. Several days each week we would have as many as 1,000 tickets just for fountain sales. I'd work 60 hours a week, only getting off every other Sunday.”

Susie said in addition to the ice cream treats, lunch also was sold at the counter, where people could sit on stools and eat or carry the food to a table.

“When Irby Jones was working there, people came in just to eat his chicken salad,” Susie said. “They said it was the best in town. We also sold ham, pimento cheese and other meat sandwiches in addition to soup and other food. It really kept us busy just looking after the lunch crowd.”

Although she didn't really notice the air conditioner while working, she sure did at quitting time.

“When I'd open the door and step out on the street to go home, the hot air would take my breath away,” Susie recalled. “But I was young and quickly adjusted to the sudden switch in temperature. Then when I got home, I had an electric fan.”

At that time, there were drug stores on just about every corner in downtown Gadsden. But as times changed in the post-war boom, they started dropping off.

When Usry closed, Susie accepted a similar position at Snellgrove Drugs. At first she worked the soda fountain, but by the time Snellgrove closed in 1994, she had been the cashier plus had worked all over the store.

Overall, Susie worked 47 years and could rightly be called “The Drug Store Queen” of Gadsden. She said she remembers a lot of drug stores coming and going during her career, such as Vance, Lane, Cross, Donaway's, Allen, Cottles and Woods. And she remembers two women who already were working at Usry when she started — Eva Dunn of Glencoe and Delorus Baker of Gadsden, who attends church with her today.

By the time she changed jobs, most stores had air conditioning, but Susie said Snellgrove's air conditioning wasn't as cool in the summer nor as warm in the winter as Usry had been. She had better working hours, however, getting off two Sundays a month rather than one.

When Snellgrove closed, Susie went looking for other work, applying at several places.

“I was close to 70 then, and when asked my age, I'd just say ‘70,'” she recalled. “They would say, ‘You sure don't look 70,' but they still wouldn't hire me. Finally, I answered an ad for a worker at Meadowbrook Baptist, to care for children on Wednesday nights and during planned events during the week. The pastor there knew of my Sunday work at East Gadsden Baptist and hired me on the spot. He wasn't concerned about my age. I worked there for 10 years.”

Susie said after the war, her husband took a job at the steel plant, retiring in 1981, and the couple became involved in church work. During 21 summers, they spent their vacations on mission trips, and Susie taught Sunday school for pre-school children for 58 years, the last 56 without missing a Sunday. Even when her late husband's funeral was scheduled for a Sunday afternoon, she went to church and taught her class that morning. All other funerals for family and friends have been on weekdays.

Susie was 88 years old last February and still attends church every Sunday. She still drives, does all her cooking and cleaning and said since surgery in 1960, she hasn't been sick a day. She misses Odes, who passed away four years ago, but their son, Eugene, and his family keep an eye on her.

Jimmy Smothers can be reached at jmmys1@aol.com. His book, “The Game,” may be purchased at The Gadsden Times' customer service desk.

<p>The date was May 7, 1945, the day World War II ended in Europe. Susie Henry remembers it well — for a lot of reasons.</p><p>One is that it was her first day on the job behind the soda fountain at Usry Drug Store. Another is that she'd hardly gotten to work when owner Forney Usry closed the store so his employees could celebrate what was to become known as VE Day (Victory in Europe) in the U.S. and Great Britain.</p><p>Even more important to Susie was knowing that with the war ending in Europe, her husband, Odes, soon would be coming home. They had not seen each other for 27 months, since he'd been deployed to Europe in May 1943. Odes already was in the Army when he married his 16-year-old girlfriend Sept. 28, 1941. He served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps.</p><p>So far, the story is similar to that of a lot of young couples during the Second World War. Sweethearts married young. The boys went to war and their young wives went to work, longing for their husbands at night and praying for their safe return.</p><p>There, the story of Susie Henry takes a different twist. Here is the way she remembers it:</p><p>“Usry Drug Store was situated across from the American National Bank and was the first building in Gadsden to be air conditioned. People just piled in there. We had customers from the bank, the lawyer's and doctor's offices nearby and then ... school children when they would come through downtown after school let out.</p><p>“Lots of people came in because of the air conditioning, but they also came in for the ice cream that Mr. Usry would order from Chattanooga and have shipped in on the train. It was very good ice cream and we had to hand dip it. We dipped it for sundaes, banana splits, malted milks and shakes. We would dip it out and sell it in small dishes right there in the store, or put it in cardboard cartons when people wanted to carry it outside.</p><p>“Although a lot of people would come in out of the summer heat to cool off, I never really got cold because we had do to work so fast and hard. Several days each week we would have as many as 1,000 tickets just for fountain sales. I'd work 60 hours a week, only getting off every other Sunday.”</p><p>Susie said in addition to the ice cream treats, lunch also was sold at the counter, where people could sit on stools and eat or carry the food to a table.</p><p>“When Irby Jones was working there, people came in just to eat his chicken salad,” Susie said. “They said it was the best in town. We also sold ham, pimento cheese and other meat sandwiches in addition to soup and other food. It really kept us busy just looking after the lunch crowd.”</p><p>Although she didn't really notice the air conditioner while working, she sure did at quitting time.</p><p>“When I'd open the door and step out on the street to go home, the hot air would take my breath away,” Susie recalled. “But I was young and quickly adjusted to the sudden switch in temperature. Then when I got home, I had an electric fan.” </p><p>At that time, there were drug stores on just about every corner in downtown Gadsden. But as times changed in the post-war boom, they started dropping off.</p><p>When Usry closed, Susie accepted a similar position at Snellgrove Drugs. At first she worked the soda fountain, but by the time Snellgrove closed in 1994, she had been the cashier plus had worked all over the store.</p><p>Overall, Susie worked 47 years and could rightly be called “The Drug Store Queen” of Gadsden. She said she remembers a lot of drug stores coming and going during her career, such as Vance, Lane, Cross, Donaway's, Allen, Cottles and Woods. And she remembers two women who already were working at Usry when she started — Eva Dunn of Glencoe and Delorus Baker of Gadsden, who attends church with her today.</p><p>By the time she changed jobs, most stores had air conditioning, but Susie said Snellgrove's air conditioning wasn't as cool in the summer nor as warm in the winter as Usry had been. She had better working hours, however, getting off two Sundays a month rather than one.</p><p>When Snellgrove closed, Susie went looking for other work, applying at several places.</p><p>“I was close to 70 then, and when asked my age, I'd just say '70,'” she recalled. “They would say, 'You sure don't look 70,' but they still wouldn't hire me. Finally, I answered an ad for a worker at Meadowbrook Baptist, to care for children on Wednesday nights and during planned events during the week. The pastor there knew of my Sunday work at East Gadsden Baptist and hired me on the spot. He wasn't concerned about my age. I worked there for 10 years.”</p><p>Susie said after the war, her husband took a job at the steel plant, retiring in 1981, and the couple became involved in church work. During 21 summers, they spent their vacations on mission trips, and Susie taught Sunday school for pre-school children for 58 years, the last 56 without missing a Sunday. Even when her late husband's funeral was scheduled for a Sunday afternoon, she went to church and taught her class that morning. All other funerals for family and friends have been on weekdays.</p><p>Susie was 88 years old last February and still attends church every Sunday. She still drives, does all her cooking and cleaning and said since surgery in 1960, she hasn't been sick a day. She misses Odes, who passed away four years ago, but their son, Eugene, and his family keep an eye on her.</p>
<p class="italic font120">Jimmy Smothers can be reached at jmmys1@aol.com. His book, “The Game,” may be purchased at The Gadsden Times' customer service desk.</p>